Choosing your travel insurance without getting caught out on a single line.

No, your bank card is not enough

It is the most widespread and most expensive belief. Premium cards do include assistance, but it comes with three limits nobody reads.

It usually only applies if the trip was paid for with the card. It stops after a length of stay set in the contract, often three months. And its medical cost limits have nothing to do with the real cost of a hospital stay outside Europe.

A second belief to correct, for European travellers: the European health insurance card is only valid in Europe. As soon as you leave the area, French social security no longer follows you, and it does not follow you at all if you leave to work abroad.

The six lines to check before the price

Every policy shows a monthly price. That is never where the difference lies.

The medical cost limit. The most important figure in the policy. It is counted in hundreds of thousands of euros with good insurers, in tens of thousands with the others.

Repatriation. Check that it is unlimited, and that it includes repatriation of remains.

The excess. What you pay yourself on each claim. A low excess on a slightly more expensive policy is often the best calculation.

Paying costs upfront. Some insurers pay the hospital directly, others reimburse you afterwards. The difference is huge when you have to pay several thousand euros on the spot.

The sports you do. The line nobody reads. Scooter, diving, surfing, high altitude hiking: many basic policies exclude them, and that is exactly what you do when you travel.

Duration and extension. Check that the policy covers the real length of the trip, and that it can be extended without starting from scratch.

The insurer I recommend

I only recommend one insurer for now: the one I took out for my working holiday year in Australia. The table shows its positioning, not its figures: cover and prices change too often for a fixed table to be honest.

With Chapka, the plan depends on your trip. Cap Working Holiday for a working holiday, up to 24 months. Cap Aventure for a round the world trip or a trip of 3 to 24 months. Cap Assistance 24h/24 for a trip under 3 months. Chapka is a French insurer and its website is in French.

Remember to enter my Chapka code when you sign up.

The links and discount codes, when there are any, are on my travel resources page.

Which policy for your profile

A trip of two to four weeks

A short policy is enough, with a real medical limit and repatriation. Look above all at cancellation cover if the trip was expensive, that is often where the refund is decided.

A long trip or a round the world trip

You need a long stay policy, extendable, without too low a duration cap. Check whether temporary trips home are covered, many policies exclude or limit them.

A working holiday or moving abroad

Here you change category: you need cover designed for living and working there, not for travelling. The details for Australia are on my working holiday insurance page, with a point that concerns every French citizen: France is not one of the countries with a health agreement with Australia.

The questions to ask before you sign

Does the policy cover work, and not just leisure?

Is riding a two wheeler covered, and with which licence?

Can I take it out once I have left, or do I have to do it from home?

Is there a waiting period at the start?

Does the insurer pay the hospital directly, or do I pay upfront?

If you do not have all five answers in black and white, you have not chosen yet.